Recap: Wolf Pack 3, Islanders 2
Mar 18, 2023The Bridgeport Islanders (28-25-7-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, were unable to answer a three-goal second period from the Hartford Wolf Pack (26-24-4-7) in a 3-2 loss at Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday.
Cole Bardreau and Ruslan Iskhakov had the Islanders goals, while Jakub Skarek (11-14-3) made 30 saves in his second consecutive start.
The Islanders continue to hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, but their lead over seventh-place Hartford shrunk to just one point. Both teams have 11 games left in the regular season.
Bridgeport started the game strong and Bardreau made it 1-0 just 58 seconds into the first period, tying his career high with his 15th goal of the season. Collin Adams earned his third point in as many games with the primary assist, filtering a pass through to Bardreau who drove the net and beat goaltender Louis Domingue on the forehand. Samuel Bolduc notched the secondary helper.
Hartford battled back with three goals on 20 shots in the second, while the Islanders only mustered up four shots on Domingue. The Wolf Pack leveled the score with a power-play goal from Jonny Brodzinski just 29 seconds into the second period and then took a 2-1 lead at the 7:54 mark courtesy of Ryan Carpenter. Tim Gettinger beat Skarek to a loose puck behind the net and fed Carpenter out front for his 10th goal in seven meetings against Bridgeport.
Brodzinski extended Hartford’s lead to 3-1 with a breakaway goal that he flicked over Skarek’s right pad for his second tally of the period at 17:06.
Iskhakov gave the Islanders a boost just under two minutes into the third with a wraparound goal that snuck through Domingue’s pads. Kyle MacLean and Robin Salo had the assists on Iskhakov’s 16th goal of the season.
The Islanders had multiple chances in the dying minutes of regulation, including nearly two full minutes of 6-on-4 hockey, thanks to an empty net and a penalty to Hartford’s Adam Clendening. However, the Wolf Pack held strong with a handful of blocked shots and key saves from Domingue.
Bridgeport went 0-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. The series is dead even 5-5-0-0 through 10 meetings.
Next Time Out: The Islanders head to Canada and begin a four-game road trip on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Laval Rocket at Place Bell. The games can be seen live via AHLTV.com or heard on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.